Atle Bakken

Atle Bakken is a composer, performer and producer from Norway, known on both sides of the Atlantic, through his work with Stevie Wonder, Sting, Diana Ross, Andy Summers, Snoop Dog, Andrae Crouch and scoring credits such as the FOX/HBO award winning TV comedy series Martin, starring Martin Lawrence.
Biography
Atle Bakken was just five years old when he played Glen Miller's Moonlight Serenade On A Hohner Melodica. These were his very first notes.
At age 10 Atle started taking piano lessons with Polish professor of music, Dr. Norbert Bojanowski. During the following decade, Dr. Bojanowski took Atle through a complete repertoire of classical studies, including the Masters; Grieg, Bach, Mozart and Liszt, among others.
As Atle matured, so did his music. Dr. Bojanowski nursed Atle's hunger for jazz and harmonies, which continues to serve as an inspiration for both his composition and performance style. Additionally, Atle developed a love for R&B and soul. At 14, he played the music of groups like Earth, Wind and Fire and Tower of Power. Atle soon started his own jazz trio out of a growing need to expand his musical expression performing in the style of Jimmy Smith and Larry Young.
In the mid-seventies, Atle incorporated the synthesizer into his music and was the first artist in Norway to use the Oberheim 4- voice polyphonic synthesizer (1979). Later, he was the first in Scandinavia to record with the Synclavier Digital Music System.
At 17, he joined the National jazz scene playing and recording with people like Jan Garbarek and Jon Eberson. Inspired by Steely Dan and The Police, the sessions led to one of the biggest pop-successes in Norway, selling more than 250 000 albums. Atle consequently joined Sony Music as a producer and arranger for their Norwegian roster
Atle joined ECM Records and the group Terje Rypdal & The Chasers, recording and traveling all over Europe, playing symphonic music and jazz . Meanwhile, at home in Norway, Atle would produce for Schlager Records and various other solo artists, as well as composing music for video and multimedia projects.
He would also assist Rypdal in his classical scorings and orchestrations for the concert stage and theatre Atle went on to tour worldwide with Andy Summers for two years and teamed up with Sting, playing at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. Stevie Wonder requested Atle for work on Jungle Fever and Diana Ross' The Force Behind The Power.
At the same time, Atle attended the prestigeful Dick Grove School of music, studying harmony and orchestration with Dr. Dick Grove and movie composer Thom Sharp.
In the mid Nineties, Atle was involved with projects for Sony Music's European division and Stateside, Atle composed for three seasons on the now syndicated TV-series Martin. Through his association with TV- and filmwork in Hollywood, Atle also polish his skills, working with the orchestras at various scoring sessions.
He also worked on CD's for Andrae Crouch, Helen Baylor and Alex, winning a Grammy for Andrae Crouch's album and getting nominated for Baylor's. His longstanding collaboration with Crouch also resulted in the Gospel legends latest studio album Pray , which went to the top on the Billboard charts.
Atle then formed ALEX MUSIC, and started finding new artists for recording. One of the projects , produced in association with EMI/Toshiba, was released in Japan and sold over 1 million units. Atle & Alex recently produced LEANA, a Swedish artist, who has already been charted on the top of the Billboard and the European lists, and a World Music/ jazz project with Russian born composer, Igor Rozhko.
Atle is annually and recently named in Who Is Who In Hollywood in the Hollywood Reporters Film & TV issue, mentioning the top composers in the world.
In 2005 Atle was requested to start the online music company, Castle Entertainment. The project, with base in Zurich, Switzerland and Ibiza, Spain have Industry endorsers such as Ramon Hervey III and Andy Summers.
Currently , of Atle is concentrating on a new personal music album and project, Future Sound Of Osterdalen with his deceased Great Grandfather, Ingulf Bakken, a recording which also features Wyclef Jean, Andy Summers, Terje Rypdal and others.
He is also involved with projects for Castle Entertainment in the US and Europe, Sony Music and EMI/Toshiba (Asia).

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